PRODUCED: Second Version 1972-1979

ORIGIN: USA

TYPE: Twin cutaway solid body, 4-string

BODY: Ash

NECK: Single piece hard rock Maple, bolt-on, 20 medium nickel-silver frets

SCALE LENGTH: 864mm (34-inch)

FINGERBOARD: Maple, black dot inlays

HARDWARE: Chrome Pickup cover, 2 saddle bridge, tuners and bridge cover plate

PICKUPS: Fender Humbucker

CONTROLS: Volume & Tone

FEATURES: Telecaster shaped headstock, finger rest, Tilt neck micro adjustment, Bullet truss rod adjuster

FINISHES: High-gloss Blonde, Sunburst & Custom Colours

COMMENTS: When Fender released the first series of the Telecaster Bass in 1968 very few actually left the States. This model was essentially the first reissue Fender, as it was fashioned after the original Precision design. Ever the tastemaker, John Entwistle of The Who bought one.

However, in the UK we became far more familiar with the Telecaster Bass Series 2 that was introduced in 1972. This is a much-modified version, and is fitted with a humbucking pickup rather than the standard single coil unit. This fully adjustable pickup was actually designed by Seth Lover, who had been hired by Fender in 1967 - a job that ended his long association with Gibson.

It gave the bass an entirely new voice for Fender, as unsurprisingly its tonal qualities were much more Gibson like. The scratchplate was a new design too and incorporated the controls, however the jack socket remained on the lower body edge. It was also given the newly designed 3-bolt neck plate with tilt adjustment and a bullet style truss rod adjuster.